I don't understand...

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I've been on WP for some time now, and I hate admitting I have no idea what people are talking about. It bothers me to look like a moron, but this is really starting to irritate me...

What is "stimming", and what is it's function? Is it a shortened version of a longer word or possibly an acronym? How would I identify this "stimming" in my own life experiences, if at all? How does it relate to aspies/auties?

The word is derivative of “stimulation” I suspect, and refers to self stimulation for instance by hand flapping or twisting, or foot joggling. Stimming refers to the stereotyped repetitive movements that are considered to be “self stimulating” or perhaps self soothing in nature.

It's short for self-stimulating activities. Usually repetitive motor movements.. Common stims are flapping your hands, rocking back and forth(i'm doing it now!), tapping your fingers, bouncing your leg... But sometimes people have more unusual ones like smelling things, staring at certain things, making repetitive noises, the possibilities are endless. More common with Autistic Spectrum people, but neurotypical people do it to some extent too(my mom is an NT who "stims" a lot!).

Stimming is usually a repetitive movement that counters too much sensory input or nervousness. It can be biting lips, messing with things in hands, etc.

A more stereotypical version of stimming is rocking back and forth.

Stimming can sometimes cross with tics.

A tic is an involuntary body movement, and when people stimm, they aren't usually aware of it (all thought it is controllable) so stimming can be a partial tic all thought it has nothing to do with turrets.

So... me constantly playing with my hair when I'm anxious is a "stim"? Or the fact that my nails have been chewed to bits?

Probably.

This might be a good resource.

http://life-with-aspergers.blogspot.com ... -feel.html

It also mentions nail biting.

Well. At least I feel less stupid now about the wide world of WP lingo.

Actually now that I think about it, its not always just to counter too much sensory input or nervousness, but I think it may also happen quite often when peolpe are simply thinking, or not paying attention to anything.

Like you can't just choose to film your self stimming, because you would be actively realizing it, but if you film your self for a period of time, you'll catch your self doing it.

Self-stimulating behaviors. Or at least that's the explanation implied by what they're called. They're basically stereotyped, repetitive movements that appear to serve no purpose, and unaffected people may simply regard them as "bad habits" or "nervous habits". Others explain that the stims serve as a substitute when it is difficult to have a deep connection to other people, or that the behaviors provide a missing or needed stimulus input into the nervous system, or serve to focus or to calm anxiety.

There are things I have been doing since as long as I can remember that I could not explain. I said to my high school guidance counselor while bending paper clips "Why do I do these things? I don't know why I do this." Looking back, it seems that I had anxiety with talking to people, even people I like and need to talk to for specific purposes. Even now, some of the things I do also help me to pay attention when I am talking to someone and help me focus when there is something I need to do. My stereotypical behaviors are much more active when I must interact with other people. Sometimes it just feels right, though, when I'm alone.

Yes. The problem with nail chewing and hair pulling, is that these can temporarily damage your appearance, until they grow back. I play with my hair a lot too, but I don't pull hard enough for any of it to come out. The problem with playing with hair is that it may be sending nonverbal signals, which lead people to incorrect conclusions when they interpret the behaviors according to "normal" rules.

Last edited by sgrannel on 27 Aug 2009, 2:50 am, edited 2 times in total.

I didn't know what a ton of stuff was when I joined either. XD;
But that's what Google is good for.

Its not just WP lingo, its AS lingo, and it can also apply to other people aswell.

And if you recognize a certain behavior, don't worry you don't have to know all the names for everything so no reason to feel stupid, besides this is a place to learn about this stuff, you don't have to automatically know it all, if people did, then there would be less of a reason to have this site.

I have a 20 year old son who was only diagnosed with Aspergers last year and I dont know lots of these terms. I am loving this site as it has opened my eyes to so much.

My son rocks constantly, and if he gets really anxious or stressed then the rocking becomes more obvious (he will even do it when he is standing talking to someone). Over the years people have told us how we should stop him from doing this but we have just let him do it (it wasnt hurting anyone including him) and I am now so glad that we didnt make it a big thing.

At least now I can explain what it is to people who dont understand.

Thanks everyone

Right. I have a tendency to stim when I'm really concentrating on something, or if I am rather bored. The concentration one is usually a hair or beard "pull-and-twist," while the bored one is usually a leg shake (many folks NT also do this). It does get more intense if I get nervous about something, such as when I'm driving and something unexpected happens.


Yes, exactly. You realize you've been doing it for awhile, and you think, "Maybe I should stop." But then it involuntarily starts up again.